Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-19
TRAIN DISPAICHING.
A Dispatcher Makes a Mistake and His
Hair Turns White-Men Who
R0Id the Life
or q Traveller on the Ends OF Their Finger.
"A Thrilling Story fold by g Com
mercial Traveller.
New York EYeding sun.

railroad collision. "People are begin
ming to realize the fact that two trains
can't pass each other on single track
he remarked dryly.
The gentleman was superintendent Of
q western railroad who has worked his
way up from telegraph operator, stop
ping for sixteen years in a dispatcher's
position before SUPPLEMENTARY was
awarded him. To circle of friends he
spoke of the dangers Of travel and the du.
ties OF train-dispatcher.
"FeW people," said he, seven those
who travel continually, know the danger
that they are in while rushing over the
mountains and through valleys at the
rate Of forty miles an hour, with trains
in front Of them, trains behind them,
passenger, freight, excursion, construc-
ton, special and wild trains, laundering
along on the same track. In the east,
where nearly every road is double
tracked, the danger is materially dimin-
! ished, but the great network of roads
that spreads like fshermaa's net over
the great west is mostly single track, and
requires men of iron nerve and quick
brains to handle the trains. One CT our
dispatchers virtually holds the lives of
our passengers at the ends Of his fingers.
.sHSuppose for q moment dispatcher
lShould lose his head, what is the result?
An awful catastrophe. But it is seldom,
| comparatively speaking, thst an accident
or Collision occurs, and for this we can
thank the lynx eyed, quick witted and
nimble fingered man who sits in his
Office hundreds Of miles away and con-
trolls the movements Of his engineers and
conductors by the aid of his servant,
electricity. Before him lies train sheet
divided into subdivisions, with the names
OF each station, and column for each
train, both east and west-bound, entered
thereon. When train leaves station
| the operator reports it to the dispatcher
as arriving and departing at whatever
time 1t may be, which is entered on the
sheet. Thus, by glancing at his train
| sheet the dispatcher can tell where each
| train is. There are roads where a dis
patcher has charge of two freight divis-
ions of 100 miles each. On each division
are thirty trains each way, making 12o
trains controlled by one man with posi-
| bly, one assistant.
"We will suppose that a train is late
and can not make it's meeting point
| This Is 8 time when the telegraph must
straighten things out, and If not done
we'll snGrl OF trains will be the result
Trein 10 is behind time, which happens
| from various causes. The regular meet
| ing point with trein is at A. Not being
able to make it The dispatcher sends an
order first to train at G.. The following
ia the generally accepted style Of an Or
der:
!, rs Conductor and Engineer No. G.:
Hold at G. until train 10 arrives. Answer.
W. w. G.
"The operator at G then displays sig
nal, flag by day and lamp by night,
that warns the conductor of train not
to pass G without ascertaining what the
signal is out for. When the orders are
delivered the conductor and engineer sign
them and they are repeated to the dis
patcner, who, if they are correct, answers
back 20. X The dispatcher then sends
an order to Train 10 as follows:
To Conductor and Engineer Train 10
A: Run to G regardless of Train T.
Answer. w. VIC.
"When this is signed. repeated and O..
KID the train pulls out and makes the
meeting point. Were it not for this order
the conductor would have to run his train
according to rule on the back Of the
time card. This rule is that q train not
having the right of way must wait at its
meeting point thirty minutes for varia-
ton of watches, and then it can proceed
to it's next meeting point. The train hav-
ing the right of way also waits FIVE min
ures for variation OF watches. Trains are
classified, passenger trains having the
right of way over freights and the latter
over work trains.
ttThis may look very simple, but when
yoR fake into consideration that the two
trSins in question are only small part
Fofthe number that are, at the same time,
under the supervision Of the dispatcher it
Will be seen that travellers are trusting
themselves blindly to an unseen power.
ara sobriety, strict attention to duty and
brain quick enough to grasp any prob
LEM that may present itself. Dispatchers
the west from $500 to $4,000 yearly, &C
cording Sd their service"
A merchant, who had drawn chair up
to the group, told story of scene in
dispatcher's Office. He said: 81 was sit
ting in the dispatchers' office Of the Mich
igan Central Road at Jackson, Mich,
SOnIC yO04S oSO1 SHatt1nS Wlbu SSAtSA
friend, who was then q conductor on she
road. Everything seemed to be running
smoothly, and the four dispatchers Wen
throwing big ball of paper at each otke
er's heads A warning slet up came fx6m
one of them, and the next instant he was
gazing thoughcfully at his train sheet.
He then opened his key and sent an Or
der. 1t was repeated to him, and the
moment he gave the o. K and stuck his
pen in the rack, bang! came the wad of
paper and the fusilade began again. I
remarked to my friend that these men
acted rather kittenisn for men who had
so much responsibility, and he replied:
'You see, they have strain on their.
minds and they cut up just such didos 10
relieve 1t, but their ears are open xnd
they hear every word that comes onS the
wire.'" ~
T know a dispatcher story that
will lay you all cut" put in commer-,
cisl traveller. "I was sitting In the Office
of the Dixon house in Newton Iowa, ons1
afternoon away back in 1878 swapping
stories with several drummers, when one
of them exclaimed: Here comes Blonde,
the milliner'
"Nsturally thinking there was pretty
woman in the question, we ran to the
window, only to see q young man go